On Friday, 29 May 2020, the Medina administration sought to
extend the National State of Emergency for a fourth time. The president of the Chamber of Deputies, archi-loyal Radhames Camacho (PLD-National District), couldn’t get the deputies to put the extension on the day’s agenda.
Opposition legislators of the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM), the Social Christian Reformist Party (PRSC) and the People’s Force (FP)
had already said they would not vote to renew the National State of Emergency. The bill was received from the Senate. In the Senate, the government party is the majority and had passed the bill on Thursday. The ruling party does not have a majority in the Chamber of Deputies.
Opposition deputies had voted for the extension in the past, “so they can’t blame us for spreading the epidemic.”
The president of the Chamber of Deputies Radhames Camacho had called for the Chamber of Deputies to meet on Friday to hear the bill that
would extend the National State of Emergency for the fourth time. The opposition now understands that the state of emergency has served to give the government candidate an unfair campaign advantage during the atypical presidential and congressional campaign for the 5 July elections.
Opposition deputies say the public health law can be used the same to combat the coronavirus. They accuse the Medina administration of acting without transparency during the health crisis and taking great political advantage. They say the government has used the state of emergency to award juicy government purchases that are rife with violations of procurement laws. Billions have had to be canceled in government contracting after investigative journalists have denounced flagrant violations.
Alfredo Pacheco, the spokesman for the PRM, had argued on the day before that the government has abused the powers to favor persons and companies with ties to the government party and its presidential candidate. Pacheco said the government, due to incapacity, negligence, or malice, failed to execute the necessary actions to stop the spread of the virus. He argued that a further extension cannot be granted because the government, according to statements by the Minister of Public Health himself, has not made any direct purchases of diagnostic test kits, and is working with donations.
He alleged that the Ministry of Public Health has not implemented a massive and free testing program that would allow the detection of all possible infected people in the national territory.
Meanwhile, the president of the Chamber of Deputies Camacho is still hopeful and convened the legislators for a second session on Saturday. PRM opposition deputy Faride Raful explained that there had been a practically full turnout of opposition legislators and many PLD legislators were missing so the vote was just not there for the passing of the extension on Friday.
Raful explained that the government is lobbying to convince opposition members to vote for the extension and is ensuring that all its legislators attend the Saturday session. The Chamber of Deputies is made up of 190 legislators. Of these, 97 are in the opposition bloc and 93 in the ruling party. Of these, 80 belong to the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), and its allies — the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD) has 11, and two are from the bloc (BIS-PPC), that is, the Social Democratic Institutional Bloc and the Popular Christian Party.
The opposition has 57 deputies from the Modern Revolutionary Party; seven from the Social Christian Reformist, 27 from the People’s Force; one from the Broad Front; one from Country Alliance, and the same number from the Quisqueyano Democrat, and three from the recently allied Liberal Reformist Party, led by Senator Amable Aristy Castro.
The National State of Emergency began on 20 March 2020 and is set to expire on 1 June 2020.
The Medina administration has announced a gradual reopening of economic activities. All public transport will be in operation as of 3 June 2020 according to the program.
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30 May 2020